Swimming sandal



Sept. 12, 1939. A. c. KAHN 2,172,933

SWIMMING SANDAL Filed April 5, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 g Fig.2.

Sept. 12, 1939. A. c. KAHN 2,172,938

SWIMMING sANDAL Filed April 5, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 12, 1-939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved type of swimming sandals which are adapted to be readily strapped in position on the feet of a swimmer, said sandals adapted when in collapsed position to be used as walking sandals. The sandals are provided with duplicate foot plates which are hingedly connected with the main foot plates and are furthermore provided with beveled edges which assist in causing the auxiliary foot plates to hingedly swing outwardly into the planes of the main foot plates to materially increase a swimmers tread area on back strokes, while on the forward movements of the swimmers legs the auxiliary foot plates are adapted to swing into positions to offer as little resistance as possible to the forward movement of a swimmer when the legs are drawn up preparatory for a repetition of the leg back strokes.

It is an object of this invention to provide improved swimming sandals adapted to be readily engaged on a swimmmers feet and adapted when used in the water to automatically open and close with the leg motions of the swimmer to increase the tread areas on the leg back strokes and reduce the area of resistance when the swimmers legs are drawn up. 7

It is also an object of this invention to provide improved swimming sandals adapted to be usedeither as walking sandals or as swimming sandals. H I

It is a further object of this invention to provide improved. swimming sandals including hinged side plates provided with beveled edges to assist in causing the side foot plates to be brought into operating positions to extend beyond the outer sides of the swimmers feet on leg back strokes.

It is an important object of this invention to provide swimming sandals adapted to be strapped on a swimmers feet and provided with pivoted tread extension members adapted to automatically move into operatingand inoperating positions with the operation of the swimmers legs in the water, to increase the forward propulsion" of the swimmer, and to assist in properly guiding the swimmer in the water by the provision of suitable apertures and openings in the sandals to permit the flow of water through the openings, on the back strokes of the swimmers legs.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawings.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

Onthe drawings:

Figure 1 indicates a side elevation of the improved swimming sandal secured in position on 5 a swimmers foot and in collapsed position, to

be used as a walking sandal.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the right foot sandal showing the location of the foot in dotted lines. 10

Figure -3 is a top plan view of the left foot sandal with the tread foot plate swung into operating position.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the left foot sandal illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail cross-section taken on line VV of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a rear view of the lower portion of a swimmers left leg, with the arrows indicating a back stroke, and showing a swimming sandal in 20 position with the auxiliary tread plate swung into operating position in the plane of the main tread plate.

Figure 7 is a similar view of the swimmers left leg, with the arrows indicating a forward move- 25 ment of the leg showing the auxiliary tread plate swung rearwardly into substantially right angles with respect to-the main tread plate. Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure '7 with the arrows indicating the beginning of a back stroke, and with the dotted arrow indicating the direction of swing of the auxiliary tread plate into the operating position illustrated in Figure 6.

Figure 9 is an enlargedfragmentary rear end view of the auxiliary tread plate of a sandal positioned at substantially right angles to the main tread plate which is broken away.

As shown on the drawings:

In the Figures 1 and 2 the reference numeral l indicates a swimmers right foot illustrated in 0 dotted lines. In Figures 6, 7 and 8 the reference numeral 2 indicates the swimmers left leg and I the left foot.

The improved swimming sandals embodying the. principles of this invention are provided in 45 pairs, that is a right and a left foot sandal.

The improved sandal comprises a main sole plate constructed of stifi waterproofed material and shaped to conform to the configuration of the shape of the human foot. As clearly illustrated in Figure 3, the main sole plate consists of a heel portion 3 and a toe and ball section 4. The outer edge of the main sole plate is cut inwardly or concave at 5 while the side of the inner edge of the main sole plate is cut inwardly 55 2 or shaped to provide the concave edge portion 6. The main sole plate heel portion 3 is provided with openings or slots I while the toe portion of the plate is provided with slots 8. The openings I and 8 are sandal strap openings for the reception of a long sandal strap 9 provided with a buckle III at one end. The sandal strap 9 is laced through the openings I and 8 as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 inclusive. Engaged on the sandal strap 9 directly above the heel portion 3 of the main sole plate is a heel strap or band I I.

Secured to the bottom surface of the main sole plate are two hinges I2. secured to the bottom of an auxiliary sole or tread plate I3 constructed of waterproof material and identical in shape to the main sole plate 3-4. The auxiliary or treadplate I3 is also provided with slots or openings I and 8 as illustrated in Figure 3. One longitudinal margin of the tread plate I3 is provided with a beveled marginal surface I4, which when the tread plate I3 is in the position illustrated in FigureS, serves as a diverting surface, on a leg backstroke, to cause the tread plate to swing outwardly in the direction of the dotted linearrow of Figure 8 into the operating position illustrated in Figure 6 to double the tread area of the sandal device.

As clearly illustrated in Figure 5, the adjacent edges of the main sole plate 3-4 and the auxiliary tread plate I3 are out out or notched at I5 (Fig. 5) to permit the joints I6 of the hinges I2 to seat in said notches I5 to permit the two sole plates to seat flatly against one another as illustrated in Figure 1 when the sandal is used for walking purposes. When the sandal is in the collapsed position illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the end portion of the sandal strap 9 is looped around to pass overothe instep and then continues beneath the bottom surface of the tread plate I3 to hold the same strapped in position against the bottom of the main sole plate 3-4, with that portion of the strap lying beneath the tread plate obviously affording an anti-skid or .friction surface. To assist in tying the sandal strap as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the strap is provided with a pivoted ring I! in the loop at one end ofthe strap in which the buckle I is engaged.

When a person crosses the beach and enters the water ready to swim, the portions of the sandal straps which are engaged over the insteps and beneath the tread plates I3 are released. The end portion of the sandal straps are then engaged around the ankles of the person wearing the sandals and the extreme ends of the sandal straps may be engaged through the rings I1 and knotted to firmly secure the straps in position, The sandals are a mate rial assistance in swimming since the main sandal plates 3-4 are larger than the persons feet and with the assistance of the hinged auxiliary tread plates I3 the tread area is doubled, as illustrated in Figure 6. When the swimmers legs are pulled forwardly in the water as indicated by the directional, arrows in Figure '7, the auxiliary tread plates I3 swing backwardly at substantially right angles to the main plates 3-4. to reduce the resistance. At the beginning of the next back The hinges I2 are also.

stroke, as indicated by the directional arrows in Figure 8, the beveled edges Id of the plates I3 are acted upon by the water to positively swing the plates I3 outwardly into the planes of the main plates 3-4. With the auxiliary plates I3 in their extended positions, the concave or rounded edges 5 of the sandal plates form an opening between the adjacent edges of said plates as clearly illustrated in Figure 4; this opening together with the openings I and 8 in the plate I3 permits the water to pass through the sandals on the back strokes and thereby serve to guide the swimmer.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon,

otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A sandal adapted for use in walking and in swimming, said sandal comprising a pair of similarly shaped soles having a plurality of appropriately located apertures or slots located therein, hinge means connecting said soles together along one side thereof whereby one of said soles may be folded under the other to bring the soles into superposed and vertically aligned relation when the sandal is for use in walking said hinge means being so constructed and being so arranged cooperable with said one side of said soles as to limit relative movement of the soles to not substantially greater than 180, and a single strap adapted to be threaded through said apertures and passed under the lower sole and over the foot of the wearer to retain said soles in their folded relation to each other and to provide an anti-skid member when the sandal is used in walking, and being releasable from the lower sole when the sandal is used in swimming, with a portion of said strap which passed over the foot being then available as an ankle strapping means.

2. A sandal adapted for use in walking and in swimming, said sandal comprising a pair of soles having a plurality of appropriately located apertures or slots located therein, hinge means connecting said soles together along one side thereof whereby one of said soles may be folded under the other into superposed relation when the sandal is for use in walking, said hinge means being so constructed and being so arranged cooperable with said one side of said soles as to limit relative movement of the soles to not substantially greater than 180, means to retain said soles in assembled superposed relation to each other and to the'foot of the user when the sandal is used in walking, said means comprising a single strap adapted to be threaded through said apertures and with a portion thereof passed over the instep of the foot and under the lower sole to form an anti-skid member when used in walking, said strap being releasable from the lower sole when the sandal is for use in swimming, with a portion of said strap then being available as an ankle strapping means.

ALBERT C. KAHN. 

